Renaissance Award gives students $25,000 to create own learning plan
Associate vice-president and dean of Graduate Studies Allison Sekuler spoke to nearly 100 students Monday. Sekuler was part of a panel answering questions about the unique new Drs. Jolie Ringash and Glen Bandiera Renaissance Award. The $25,000 award gives students the opportunity to create their own learning project.
Allison Sekuler knows exactly what she would do with McMaster’s new Renaissance Award if she were a student.
Sekuler, a cognitive neuroscientist who specializes in vision research, says that if she were a student, she would develop a plan to travel to Japan.
Speaking at an open information session on the award Monday, the associate vice-president and dean of Graduate Studies said she would jump at the chance to develop her own learning project.
“When I was an undergrad I fell in love with Raku, a type of Japanese pottery used in tea ceremonies,” she told the nearly 100 students who attended the session in Council Chambers. “WIthout a doubt I would have used an award like this to travel to Japan to learn more about it.”
The $25,000 Drs. Jolie Ringash and Glen Bandiera Renaissance Award gives students the opportunity to create their own learning project. The prize, however, comes with one caveat: the project must be completed outside the student’s program of study.
Monday’s session was meant to help students better understand the award, which is focused on experiential learning both at home and abroad.
“The award is for talented students who are having success already, but who want to go outside the box and bring expertise from other specialties into their own areas of study,” said Jolie Ringash, who along with husband Glen Bandiera, will fund the award for the next five years. “We’d like students today to know that there are many pathways to success, and the most important thing is to find the pathway that’s right for you.”
The application deadline for the award is October 15. Interested students should complete a letter of intent and include a description of a project, including timeline, in the application.
